St. Paul daily globe., 1887-04-30
OBSERVE ARBOR DAY.
Dakota People Owe It to Themselves to
Have an Annual Day For
Tree Planting,
For by This Alone Can They Hope to Pre-
vent Repetition of Very
Dry Seasons.
Curbstone Brokers Getting In Their
Work on the Clerks as Well
as the Farmers.
ADVICE to Dakota People to do Some
thing to Prevent Repetitfons of
Prairie Fires.
Special to the Globe

Special to the Globe
WASHINGTON, April 29.-An old Dako-
tan says: II have never seen so much rain in
the territory since the spring of 1882. That
was five years ago. During that period
the immigration to the territory has annu-
ally fallen off. The present season will
bring forth the most wonderful crops in the
history OF the world. Next year there will
be new influx OF home-hunting people.
But the probabilities are that there will fol-
low another term of comparatively dry
years. The only way to bring about an
equable rainfall in Dakota is to observe
Arbor day." There are now twenty-five
states and territories which observe an an
nual day of tree e-planting. The commits
sloner of agriculture says that he does all
that is in his power to foster the sentiment.
But" he says, 1.-The people of the
territories who need trees the
most, and whose absolute need
OF an annual equable moist
ure, are the SlOweSt to interest themselves.
do not know how to account for this
They are all intelligent people. That they
are ambitious is plainly shown by the mere
fact that they have gone onto the frontier
to build up homes for themselves Yet they
seem to use their energies in all other direc-
tlonS 1lrSt before they will take any time
for tree-planting." The commissioner ut
tiers simple and incontr0vertlble truth.
The people of the territories are not as
thoughtful of the future as they should be-
One way to account for the tree-planting
of the states is that the people there plant
trees for the adornment of their grounds
rather than for utility. The people of the
territories have
NO TIME TO WASTE
in seeking the beautiful, but look only at
the substantial. Later on they will culti-
vate the beautiful. They do not seem to
think that they have time to spare in tree
planting, yet it is Of the highest import
ance. 1t is more important even than
planting the grain. The crop which will
follow will soon be gone. Next year there
will be smaller, and the next
year still smaller; so that in
the long run it would be more
economical to raise smaller acreage this
year. and plant trees to bring the rain for
future years. The. commissioner of agri-
culture repeats the statement telegraphed
last week that he is able to supply many
trees, thousands OF clippings, and all sorts
OF arbor producers known to his DEPART
ment. He is an enthusiast upon the SUBJ
ject, and regards the Arbor days as the
most important of all special days in the
year for the farmer. He sends out circu-
lars to all who are interested enough to send
their addresses. explaining the problem of
forestry to great extent. In that, he be-
lleves. lies the solution of the floods, cy-
clones and other natural terrOrs of the
Northwest and West. "Coyer the hills.
valleys and prairies,o he says, with the
timber which nature calls for, and these
disturbances would cease If the earth
is obliged to go naked the air will resent
the insult and sweep destructively over the
men who denude her of her verdure. Let
the trees be planted and let them be culti-
waited. Then the cyclones will become gen
tie zephyrs, and the floods will change into
soothing and strengthening showers" And
he is right.